To think that coronavirus has exposed a nasty undertone of racism?

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Now I’ll admit that I can’t be doing with all the hysteria surrounding this. People wanting colleagues to stay off work because they’ve been to china/wanting to keep their kids off school because one of them has been to china/wanting Brits to be kept in china lest they bring the virus home.

While there have been some deaths, in comparison to the numbers of those diagnosed these are small and have occurred in people who mostly had already underlying health conditions.

But I can’t help thinking what these attitudes are actually saying about people’s attitudes towards the Chinese.

Quite apart from the above, I’ve seen people express concern that a package sent from China two weeks ago might infect them, followed by advice to quarantine it for two weeks and then spray with anti-bac before opening.

Wondering i f it’s safe to go to the local Chinese in case someone working there has been in contact with someone from China.

And someone I know personally who is of Chinese origin but grew up in this country being told that they should keep out of circulation because they’re Chinese and therefore could be infectious.

A lot of this is of course hysterical paranoia, but it seems to be spreading, and it gives out a very nasty message imho.

wanting Brits to be kept in china lest they bring the virus home.

I think you’ve answered your own question here, no? People in a none infected area want to avoid anyone who may have been exposed to the virus. Nothing to do with race.

But hey, let’s not put sensible containment measures in place just in case someone starts bleating its racist. Many people may die unnecessarily but what the heck. Just hope it’s not someone you love OP.

Is it not fair to be concerned about the open meat market and the risks.

Is there not a correlation with this practice and the virus originating in Wuhan

Sars also originated in China.

However being unpleasant to Chinese residents of the UK is not on

@GinDaddy, Gatekeeping who is able to speak about racism? FFS. I am going to continue to challenge, discuss and speak loudly about racism wherever I am able.

HTH.

Not so much, no.

I did see a pretty nasty thread the other day about British Citizens should be left there rather than brought home because they chose to live and work there and no pay UK tax.

Yeah ok all resident UK citizens who aren't tax payers shouldn't benefit from any assistance then?! Paying tax doesn't entitle you to any more help from the govt than the next person and I say that as a higher rate tax payer myself

Ridiculous

A PP agreed with the OP and said the racism was subtle.

Dare I put my head above the parapet in order to suggest that in this new Woke world, subtle is another word for non-existent?

Poor old grizzled person declares they can't see any racism to which the shining woke person declares-no, you won't it's very subtle.

The new Woke dictionary word for non-existent is subtle. What a pile of blatant shite.

Regina are you actually out and about at the moment with "very bad flu"?

People will be giving you the side eye. I didn't buy something in a supermarket that I wanted after seeing someone cough ferociously and mucously into their hand, then reach out and touch several packets of the product I wanted. Granted, if he'd done it just before I turned the corner into the aisle I'd never have known but once I saw it, I couldn't unsee it.

He would not have thought I was giving him a second look but I was - with my head, not with my eyes.

Current advice from the government is that anyone returning from China at present should self isolate for two weeks. So they should certainly not be going to work or school. Those who are being flown back from the Wuhan area tomorrow are being quarantined.
Wanting to avoid contact with people who may be incubating the virus is common sense, not racism.

While I have seen the odd racist comment from bellends (unacceptable) the vast majority of responses I've seen and heard from people are those of worry and concern.

It's not racist to be worried about coming into contact with people who may have been in China and may be able to pass it on. It's smart to be vigilant and while there's absolutely no need to be rude and treat anyone who is Chinese/been to China recently badly, I can understand why people will be on edge and want to maintain a distance.

I work in a hotel and obviously come into contact with a lot of Chinese people, I am rightfully wary and careful to sanitise my hands ect after an interaction. We are all very careful at the moment and I know a lot of hotels booking sites are banning guests from mainland China. I would expect the same in other countries if it originated here.

Call it hysteria but I'd rather everyone be careful than lax in the fear of being 'racist' just for it to spread through Britain.

I think sensible precaution (which are in place) are OK but attacking a whole nationality as being responsible for a disease & than attacking them for what a minority of people may do - as I previously stated letting our farmers feed vegetarian animals diseased meat... yep glass houses & stones - just imagine if we had a disease outbreak here could you see people conforming & our state organising what they have done to restrict the infection?

But not entering a Chinese takeaway in case someone from there has been in touch with a Chinese person from china is racist. Plenty of English people will have been in touch with Chinese people who have been in China, but we’re not telling everyone who has been in touch with a Chinese person to isolate themselves.

Spraying a student with anti bacterial spray is racist.

Telling someone who is Chinese to go home even if they’ve grown up is racist.

I find it interesting that those who seem to feel the need to shout down these statements are resorting to insults rather than logic “ffs!/Jesus Christ/the hard of thinking.”

But not entering a Chinese takeaway in case someone from there has been in touch with a Chinese person from china is racist.

Can you really not see that the probability of having been in contact with someone from China when you're actually Chinese, is likely to be perceived as greater?

Plenty of English people will have been in touch with Chinese people who have been in China, but we’re not telling everyone who has been in touch with a Chinese person to isolate themselves.

Yes people are!

Why do you think anyone would be more concerned about a Chinese person having been in contact with another Chinese person, than a British person having been in contact with a Chinese person?

Give your head a wobble. If someone is that anxious about this virus, they'll be anxious no matter what race they are.

The Coronavirus is a red herring. The fact is that some people are racist.

What it has done is shone a light on some of the less admirable Chinese habits like warm meat markets, and the fact they eat bats, snakes, wolf cubs etc

I’d like to add koala bears to this list.

I’ve seen a few tweets lamenting the fact people are donating to Australia to save the koalas whilst at the same time they’re being eaten in Wuhan.

no not at all

if a nasty virus originated in Wales, people would feel the same.

I have to have regular doctor's visits and sometimes she'd say "ooh, there are huge numbers of noro in WC2" - and I'd be cursing WC2, where I work, and work at home as much as allowed, and hope no post was coming from there!

I don't really do social media much though and have never done Farcebook. A lot of really nasty stuff seems to be on there?

"I’ve seen a few tweets lamenting the fact people are donating to Australia to save the koalas whilst at the same time they’re being eaten in Wuhan."

I didn't know eating koalas was allowed anywhere, live and learn.

Yabu.

Brexit did that.

I am immuno compromised so by your reckoning if someone passes the virus to me it is ok if I die? Okay then!

We supply the NHS where I work. We had an email today from the account manager who looks after them requesting a list of everything we import from China.

You might be made a Martyr of Woke, which would be wonderful for you and your family.

I’m pretty sure it would be the same if it happened anywhere, including the U.K. The hysteria is the problem

When we advised limited travel to and from affected areas of the Zika virus outbreak. Was that a racist attack on their countries tourism?

Our local chippy has workers coming from China and going home after a few months. The Corona Virus is now in every part of mainland China.

The Russians are closing trade routes. Does that make them racist, or given the standard of health care in their country are they just looking to keep people alive?

Well it just goes to show the widespread ignorance and lack of understanding of the public towards the matter.

I reckon the Chinese are doing the right thing in trying to contain this new virus. I don't think we know all of what it can do and is doing. On the face of it yes it has killed people and people have survived it but thus far we don't know what after effects it "might" have had.

Also it is an oddity in that it can infect people withoiut them showing any symptoms.But it think given time it will fade out like the infamous H1N1 that caused the 1918 pandemic. God help us if that were to resurface again or a close variant of it! 50 odd MILLION killed!

Yes it was called the Spanish flu but there was no known area or country that it oringated from but it sure spread quickly and killed well, took out the fit and healthy ones!

Though people may well eat dogs in the east thats well, OK i suppose but KILL the poor sodding things first please! and the mice too!

Ah! didnt we once like seeing Foxes torn to bits for our amusment;?!

And I will be seeing those very nice people at the local Chinese takeaway this weekend as they do the best fish and chips in Town:)

BTW that woman who posted re her husband going to the trade show in Germany no one mentioned that he was immunosuppresed did they?

Current advice from the government is that anyone returning from China at present should self isolate for two weeks

But where do they go to do this. Unless its a whole family coming back together and they have a houseful of food then realistically they are going to come into contact with other people even if it is solely the person who delivers their shopping. If they live with people who haven't been in China do the whole family stay in quarantine anyway? Can someone stay off of work because their partner has just returned from China?

Intresting reading:)

www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30211-7/fulltext